All three Fellows will be pursuing a Master of Health Professions Education (M.H.P.E.) degree at Maastricht University in the Netherlands beginning in 2011.

Dr. Bansal is a 2007 FAIMER Institute Fellow and a faculty member at the CMCL-, GSMC-, and PSG-FAIMER Regional Institutes. Through the IFME program, she seeks to deepen her knowledge of advanced topics in health professions education and, in particular, program design, to continue her growth as a leader and program developer at MUHS.

Dr. Shah is a 2008 FAIMER Institute Fellow and a Faculty member at the GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute. As an associate professor in psychiatry and Chair of the Indian Psychiatric Society (Western Zone), Dr. Shah is interested in learning how to better align the psychiatry curriculum at TNMC with the needs of the community. She also hopes to learn about innovations in teaching-learning and assessment, and to apply that knowledge at both TNMC and the GSMC-FAIMER Regional Institute.

Dr. Solarte, a 2007 FAIMER Institute Fellow, seeks to improve his understanding of curricular design and implementation, faculty development, and student assessment. He plans on using this knowledge in leading the implementation of a new curriculum at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana and as a member of the organizing committee for a new master’s program in health professions education that will be offered by the Association of Colombian Medical Schools. Dr. Solarte would also like to further develop his research skills. As a member of the FAIMER Regional Initiative in Latin America (FRILA), he is interested in conducting research on the migration of health professionals in Latin-American countries.

The IFME program provides support for participating Fellows to pursue advanced degrees in health professions education at selected institutions that offer distance learning programs. The program prepares participants to take on greater educational leadership roles at their home institutions, as well as at FAIMER’s Regional Institutes, with the ultimate goal of improving local health care. The program is open to both FAIMER Institute and FAIMER Regional Institute Fellows. IFME Fellows are selected by FAIMER.